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Original poster

Can a child receive Pupil Premium funding at a private school?

101 replies

dairymilkisevil · 16/08/2018 23:55

DD is at private school on a hefty scholarship and bursary.

I now receive child tax credit and have an income of £4K per year. I am separated very recently hence why I am now claiming.

Next school I hope to get DD into is a grammar and its admissions rules say that kids who are receiving pupil premium (ie, it says, those who receive free school meals) get priority admission. We are out of catchment otherwise, but it's a terrific school and it would be great if she could go there through this rule.

However, with DD currently being at private school, the fees there include lunch anyway. So she doesn't get free school meals because nobody there pays extra for them, IYSWIM.

So How I can improve to the grammar school that she is eligible for free school meals / pupil premium? Do private schools have access to the Pupil Premium for the kids there who are on bursaries mama scholarships?

OP posts:
Norestformrz · 17/08/2018 07:37

The pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England.
It’s designed to help disadvantaged pupils of all abilities perform better, and close the gap between them and their peers.
Pupil premium funding is available to:
• schools maintained by the local authority, including:
• schools for children with special educational needs or disabilities
• pupil referral units (PRUs), for children who can’t go to a mainstream school
• academies and free schools, including:
• academies for children with special educational needs or disabilities
• alternative provision (AP) academies, for children who can’t go to a mainstream school
• voluntary-sector AP, with local authority agreement
• non-maintained special schools (NMSS), for children with special educational needs as approved by the Secretary of State for Education under section 342 of the Education Act 1992

Clairetree1 · 17/08/2018 07:45

have you entered her for the 11+ OP? She will need to be taking this in the next couple of weeks to apply to a grammar school. If she has not been entered you need to get onto that straight away- it might already be too late

SoupDragon · 17/08/2018 07:47

if the admissions criteria is just eligibility...

But she isn’t eligible because she is at a private school.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 17/08/2018 09:21

The child being eligible if she happened to be attending a state primary is an irrelevant red herring.
She has been given a bursary to attend a private school, her parents income is no longer of any consequence.
Can you explain how she could still be considered a disadvantaged pupil, Poppy?

PoppyStellar · 17/08/2018 10:06

Because PP and FSM eligibility are crude measures of disadvantage. The issues around a child being considered to be disadvantaged are infinitely more complex than ‘how much money do the parents have, does the child get free dinners’.

Attending private school on a bursary does not automatically negate the disadvantage, in my opinion. But it’s just my opinion and I can certainly appreciate that others may disagree.

SuburbanRhonda · 17/08/2018 11:57

But it’s just my opinion and I can certainly appreciate that others may disagree.

There are rules for PP set by the DfE and it’s those rules that determine who gets PP, not your opinion or anyone else’s.

Lucked · 17/08/2018 13:46

Surely the new school don’t care if she receives PP now, as that does not make any difference to them. What they want to know is if she will receive a pupil premium if she attends their school which it appears she will. You could word it that she will be eligible.

BertrandRussell · 17/08/2018 13:53

So she will get all the advantages of private school preparation for entrance exams and of the policy that is trying to level the playing field for children from significantly disadvantaged backgrounds.? Blimey.

Norestformrz · 17/08/2018 14:05

"The pupil premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England."

ChateauRouge · 17/08/2018 14:05

No lucked, they aren't looking for pupils that will be eligible- these policies are designed to improve social mobility. They are helping selective schools demonstrate that they're trying to level the playing field for children suffering disadvantage.

Allowing children to benefit from an admission advantage because their income now meets criteria for fsm is only really paying lip service to the idea of social mobility. A child that has been in an independent school (albeit on a bursary) has not been disadvantaged in their education (in most cases, there will be exceptions!). They have benefited from (in most cases) small class sizes, with little disruptive behaviour, decent (or in many cases, outstanding) facilities, specialist teaching in minor subjects throughout primary school (games, music, DT, science, MFL etc) which 99% of children the maintained sector do not have.
Surely a child of any socio-economic background would flourish in those conditions, and not be disadvantaged in any way regarding their education?

AngelsWithSilverWings · 17/08/2018 14:22

Obviously I don't know the admissions criteria of the grammar school you hope to apply to but my son's grammar school also supposedly has priority for children with PP funding.

In practice all it means is that in the event of a tie break for a place between children with the same 11 plus score they will use the admissions criteria to allocate the place.

So a looked after or previously looked after child will be first priority , then a child with PP funding and then it will be proximity to the school.

I don't know how you prove that you are eligible for PP if you aren't currently in the state school system. I would call the local authority school admissions team to get an answer on that one.

PatriciaHolm · 17/08/2018 14:29

You need to read the criteria carefully.

For example, Nonsuch Grammar say -

"Children in receipt of Pupil Premium are those who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the six years prior to the closing date for test registration (17 August 2018). Documentary evidence to support such an application will be required from the current primary school as evidence of Pupil Premium registration at the point when a child is registered to sit the Selective Eligibility Test. "

Given you can't supply this, you wouldn't be eligible. Have you checked the relevant dates for the grammar you are interested in? You may find the dates have passed as the exams will be early next term and you are likely to need evidence either at the time of registering for the exam or taking it.

You can always call the admissions authority for the school (which will almost certainly be the school itself) but I would suggest it's unlikely.

Are you too far away to get in under distance?

BertrandRussell · 17/08/2018 18:55

To be honest, it is very....icky...to even try.

Bombardier25966 · 17/08/2018 18:59

Are your two sons staying at private schools dairymilkisevil? Is it not possible to fund your daughter's continuing education in the same way that you are theirs?

It's all a bit awkward, claiming you've got thousands to pay for two but then claiming to be on a low income when it comes to the third!

MarthasGinYard · 17/08/2018 19:01

Perhaps lay off one of your cleaners that may help Shock

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 17/08/2018 19:14

Jesus, isn’t AS wonderful? Three kids at private school, and you want to claim pupil premium so one can go to the grammar instead.
While you keep your cleaner and your long haul holidays.
Go away, you daft woman Hmm

Dermymc · 17/08/2018 19:53

You don't even recognise your own privilege ffs.

PatriciaHolm · 17/08/2018 20:25

Two boys OP? or Two boys and a girl? or some other combination?

How are you educating the others?

CherryPavlova · 17/08/2018 21:01

Are you thinking your child would receive the pupil premium funding? They don’t the school does and can choose to spend it as they see fit - so not necessarily directly on the child who has the funding.

SuburbanRhonda · 18/08/2018 09:27

cherry

The OP didn’t want the cash, she wanted the funding as a gateway to priority admission to the grammar school.

Norestformrz · 18/08/2018 16:01

The OPs question should be "can an independent school claim Pupil Premium for my child" the answer is no so unfortunately the child doesn't meet the admission criteria mentioned

BertrandRussell · 18/08/2018 17:49

The Op's question should be "How can I play the system so my privileged child gets something specifically designed for underprivileged children?"

PamDooveOrangeJoof · 18/08/2018 17:52

I work at an independent school and I can confirm that we have had students that have received pupil premium through the council. There are certain criteria regarding what it can be spent on though and it’s not used for fees. I would imagine that it depends on the circumstances and council etc.

SuburbanRhonda · 18/08/2018 18:18

I work at an independent school and I can confirm that we have had students that have received pupil premium through the council

Despite the fact that the DfE’s own definition is funding for pupils at publicly funded schools? I find that hard to believe, tbh.

AlexaShutUp · 18/08/2018 18:21

The Op's question should be "How can I play the system so my privileged child gets something specifically designed for underprivileged children?"

Quite!

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